180  JOURNAL  OF^EORTIGULTURE  AND  OOTT AGE  ^GARDENER,.  2302. 
- h. - - - ; - . - ^ — 
The  Bothy. 
clump  otherwise.  When  I  looked  out  on  the  snowy  scene 
at  daybreak  I  thought  regretfully  of  these  golden  flowers, 
and  pictured  them  crushed  under  the  snow,  and  their  beauty 
gone  for  the  year.  They  were  safe,  however,  under  the 
shelter  of  a  great  bush  of  the  old  double  Wallflower  which 
crowned  the  rockery  above,  and  was  so  borne  down  by  the 
weight  of  snow  that  it  formed  a  protection  for  the  Crocuses 
beneath.  As  the  snow  melted  from  the  bush,  and  it  par¬ 
tially  recovered  its  upright  position,  the  Crocuses  appeared 
— a  welcome  sight  of  gold  amid  the  white  around.  Needless 
to  say,  they  were  not  long  left  unprotected,  and  now  they 
give  a  daily  welcome  to  the  bright  rays  which  try  to  modify 
the  inclemency  of  this  February  day.  There,  too,  are  the 
pretty  whitish  flowers  of  C.  Fleischeri,  one  of  the  earliest 
of  the  season  with  me  this  year,  opening  to  these  rays  day 
after  day,  happy  in  their  little  tabernacle.  A  little  off  is 
Crocus  Sieberi  purpureus,  a  fine  dark  form  of  the  charming 
Httle  Sieberi,  whose  flowers  are  yet  covered  over  "with  that 
white  which  contrasts  so  well  with  these  pale  purple  flowers. 
Near  it,  again,  is  Colchicum  Ritschi,  a  flower  to  be  sought 
for  and  prized,  as  ushering  in  January  with  its  pale  rose 
flowers,  which  keep  comiirg  on  until  March  comes.  Further 
away,  again,  a  small  glass  covers  my  solitary  specimen  of 
still  another  variety  of  Crocus  Sielperi — a  beauty  called 
lilacinus,  as  yet  scarce  and  dear.  Elsewhere,  again,  is  a 
Crocus,  sent  to  me  as  C.  Crewei,  but  which  seems  to  be  a 
black-anthered  form  of  reticulatus.  Shrouded  in  snow  are 
many  others  in  bloom,  in  bud,  or  awaiting  their  awaking 
time. 
Snowdrops  were  plentiful,  and  where  snow  has  grown 
thin  they  are  appearing  through  its  covering.  Yet  they  are 
forlorn,  and  droop,  not  only  their  pure  blossoms,  but  lie 
almost,  or  quite,  prostrate,  as  if  overcome  with  the  severity 
of  the  frost,  the  hardest  of  the  year.  Their  beauty  is 
eclipsed,  but  it  is  only  an  eclipse  ;  and,  like  the  sun,  they 
will  again  show  their  chaste  charms  and  fascinating  beauty. 
There  are  many  in  bloom,  from  the  common  nivalis,  the 
globular  Elwesi,  the  recurved-leaved  plicatus,  to  the  great 
flowers  of  Imperati  Atkinsi  ;  while  Melvillei,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  all,  is  peeping  through.  These  “  pendent  flakes 
of  vegetating  snow  ”  are  so  lovely  that  we  grudge  the  days 
of  cold  which  cut  off  from  us  the  full  realisation  of  their 
beauty.  And  soon  shall  we  have  plenty  of  the  charming 
Snowflakes,  for  we  see  the  white  segments  appearing 
through  their  green  spathes,  and  when  the  frost  and  snow 
disappears  we  shall  welcome  their  hne  bi-lls,  whose  charm 
is  so  delightful  that  we  can  hardly  pass  them  by  without 
turning  up  some  to  see  the  inner  beauties  of  the  flowers 
we  call  Spring  Snowflakes,  but  which  the  botanists  term 
Leucojum  vernum.  White  as  driven  snow,  and  decorated 
with  green  or  pretty  yellow  spots,  this  Spring  Snowflake  is 
a  flower  to  be  desired  and  cherished. 
Nature’s  alchemist  surely  excelled  himself  when  from 
these  rough  and  shapeless  little  tubers,  fed  by  the  dark 
earth,  he  produced  these  little  yellow,  green-ruffed  flowers, 
which  were  so  bright  a  few  days  ago,  and  which  will  again 
shine  with  gold  when  they  are  free  once  more.  They  are 
gay  and  bright  in  that  dull  corner,  and  are  that  “  light  in 
a  cheerless  place  ”  we  welcome  gladly  in  these  winter  days. 
The  Christmas  and  Lenten  Roses  are  deep  under  snow,  but 
some  were  in  bloom,  and  were  very  welcome  with  their 
white  or  rosy-tinted  flowers.  They  will  recover  again,  and 
we  shall  have  them  for  a  time  in  the  shady  place  in  which 
they  are  grown  here. 
Frosted  are  the  flowers  of  Primus  Davidiana,  which  first 
opened  about  J anuary  18  ;  but  there  are  plenty  of  buds  still 
which  will  open  when  a  milder  time  comes  round  again. 
No  more  charming  little  tree  or  shrub  have  we  than 
the  fastigiate  variety  of  P.  Davidiana  alba,  whose  white 
flowers  are  so  prettily  arranged  along  the  leafless  branches. 
The  red  or  pink  variety  is  not  nearly  so  attractive,  though 
one  would  rather  have  it  than  none.  I  think  I  have  never 
seen  Jasminum  nudifloium  do  so  well  as  this  winter.  Long 
before  New  Year’s  Day  it  came  into  flower,  and  even  now 
it  shows  plenty  of  its  golden  stars,  though  they  are  frosted 
oyer  by  the  white  hoar-frost,  which  has  been  so  thick  for  a 
night  or  two.  There  are  many  beautiful  sights  around  ; 
mountain  and  seacoast,  woods  and  gardens,  trees  and 
shrubs,  all  delightful  in  their  snowy  garb.  Yet  the  heart  of 
the  gardener  longs  for  ir«  pa'^sing  away,  so  that  he  may 
enjoy  his  flowers  and  tend  to  their  wants,  rejoicing  in  their 
loveliness  the  while. — S.  Aenott. 
Two  of  our  contemporaries  have  opened  their  columns  recently 
to  a  discussion  of  this  subject.  It  is  one  whose  claiins  to  notice 
is  fitfully  considered  ;  there  has  been  no  systematic  agitatioui 
(we  may  use  the  word)  to  ensure  a  full  and  thorough  veiitilationi 
of  the  unfortunately  numerous  points  in  regard  to  bothies  that 
call  for  reform.  “  One  half  the  wmrld  knows  not  what  the  other- 
half  does.”  Were  the  true  conditions  of  a  large  number  of  bothies - 
revealed  to  what  is  termed  “  The  Public  ” — apart  from  the- 
gardening  community — we  feel  sure  “  The  Public  ”  would  be 
astounded.  “Happily  there  are  also  a  large  percentage  of  very 
comfortable  bothies.  But  when  young  men  are  huddled  together, 
as  under  gardeners  are  in  more  cases  than  it  is  agreeable  to« 
reflect  on,  in  “  bothies  ”  that  are  a  very  great  deal  less  comfort¬ 
able  than  barrack  rooms,  and  without  the  privilege  of  a  separate 
bed  to  rest  in  at  night,  when  the  same  young  men  have  to-  main¬ 
tain  these  dwellings  clean,  make  their  own  beds,  cook  theif  own- 
food  week-day  and  Sunday,  mend  their  own  clothes,  and  work 
from  6  a.m.  till  6  p.m.  in  summer,  from  dawn  till  dusk  in  winter — 
can  anyone  expect  from  them  that  intelligence  compatible  with- 
the  needs  of  an  all-round  gardener?  Can  anyone  expect  such  men 
to  develop  habits  of  study — of  reading,  thinking,  correct  speak¬ 
ing  and  writing,  or  to  become  valuable  members  of  the  com¬ 
munity,  or  so  useful  to  their  present  or  prospective  employers- 
as  they  might  be?  If  yes  is  the  answer,  then  truly  the  men  in 
such  conditions  must  needs  be-  all  of  Cobbett’s  calibre  and  tem¬ 
perament^ — Avhich  is  not  so.  A  few  descriptions  of  the  neglected; 
bothies  would  surely  draw  the  attention  of  ovmers  of  the  gardens - 
to  this  important  matter,  and  if  the  publication  of  letters  which 
mav  be  sent  to  the  Journal  on  this  subject  will  tend  to  ilmprove-- 
ment,  in  even  one  or  two  instances,  the  present  appeal  will  not 
have  been  vain.  Examples  of  what  the  ideal  bothy  should  be- 
may  not  be  less  necessary. 
- »  * - 
The  Witch  Hazels, 
In  late  autumn  and  mid-January,  should  the  weather  prove- 
mild,  the  usefulness  of  the  small  though  extremely  interesting 
genus,  Hamamelis,  is  brought  strongly  before  our  notice.  Their  - 
bright  coloured,  freely  produced  blossoms  would  make  them  of 
value  at  any  season,  but  braving  as  they  do  the  storms  and: 
weather  variations  of  our  English  winters,  they  are  doubly  w-el- 
oome.  and  every  garden  of  note  should  number  them  among  its 
occupants.  The  genial  weather  of  the  first  fortnight  of  1902  has. 
suited  them  to  perfection,  and  they  are  now  a  mass  of  blossoms. 
The  number  of  cultivated  species  is  variously  numbered  at 
three  and  four,  some  authorities  making  arborea  a  variety  of 
japonioa  and  some  according  it  specific  rank ;  whichever  is  correct, 
it  is  distinct  from  a  garden  point  of  view. 
The  oldest  known  species  is  H.  virginica,  the  common  Witch, 
Hazel  of  North  America.  It  was  introduced  in  1736,  and  forms 
a  dense  shrub  6ft  to  8ft  high,  with  obovate,  sharply  toothed 
leaves,  and  small  pale  yellow  blossoms,  which  are  borne  any  time 
between  the  months  of  September  and  February.  It  is  inferior 
to  the  others  from  a  decorative  point  of  view,  and  is  often  used 
for  stocks  on  which  to  graft  the  other  species. 
H.  arborea  is  a  taller  growing,  looser  habited  plant.  It  grows 
to  a  height  of  20ft,  and  when  on  its  ow-n  roots  quickly  forms 
large  specimens.  The  flowers  are  deeper  yellow  and  larger  than' 
those  of  the  American  species,  and  are  also  distinct-  by  reason  of 
the  rich,  reddish  brown  calyces  and  twisted  petals.  H.  japonica,. 
like  the  former,  is  a  Japanese  plant,  and  is  distinguishable  fronn 
the  above  by  its  dwarfer  habit,  narrower  petals,  smaller  flowers,, 
and  green  and  brown  calyces.  Though  inferior  to  the  former,  it  is; 
worthy  a  place  in  the  garden. 
H.  japonica  var.  zuccariniana  is  quite  distinct  from  the  others 
in  colour,  the  flowers  being  of  a  pale  lemon  colour,  the  calyces 
reddish  brown.  It  is  a  desirable  plant,  and  worth  looking  after. 
H.  mollis  is  the  most  recently  introduced  species,  and  is  still  very- 
rare.  It  is  a  native  of  Western  China,  and  is  quite  distinct  from> 
the  other  species  by  reason  of  its  large  leaves,  which,  together- 
with  young  stems,  buds,  and  calyces,  are  covered  with  a  dense  ■ 
felty  mass  of  silky  hairs- — and  larger  blossoms,  which,  with  the- 
exception  of  curved  tips,  are  quite  straight.  The  colour  of  the  • 
petals  is  a  clear,  rich  yellow,  and  of  the  sepals  a  dull  brown. 
Hamamelis  are  usually  propagated  by  means  of  seeds  or- 
grafts,  and  like  a  rich,  warm,  not  too  heavy  loam.  From  their- 
earliness  of  flowering  it  is  advisable  to  grant  them  a  sheltered 
corner,  thoughcfchis  is  not  necessary  as  regards  hardiness.  Any-- 
one  who  goes  -to  the  trouble  of  forming  a  group  of  these  plants, 
will  feel  amply  recompensed  when  he  sees  them  in  mid-January' 
smothered  with  their  bright  yellow  flowers. — D.  K. 
